New Contracts?

[LeeB]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

Agreed on both fronts.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Out of everyone he was the least of our worries

And therefore probably the easiest to sort out.

So why not leave it?

Why not just do it at the same time as all the others?

It's not a case of "finish one negotiation, start the next one".

As I say least important, better to get big ones done first. In my opinion anyway

[Ian.]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

Agreed on both fronts.

Yep, me too.

[Dave]

Out of everyone he was the least of our worries

And therefore probably the easiest to sort out.

So why not leave it?

Why not just do it at the same time as all the others?

It's not a case of "finish one negotiation, start the next one".

As I say least important, better to get big ones done first. In my opinion anyway

If it were a case of we have one small meeting room for contract negotiations and we can only start the next one once the previous one has been sorted, then I'd agree with you.

But we don't, and we can discuss new contracts with four different players. And then those negotiations will take different lengths of time. This one happened to have sorted itself out quickest.

[silhillvilla]

Great news re Gabby. Our vice captain and talisman secured for more or less the rest of his career.

[ozzjim]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

Agreed on both fronts.

He has not been on the wing in any way, shape or form for the last 4 years. Indeed, his best form came when he was played properly out wide under McLeish until he got the hump that Bent was move loved than he was or some such rubbish.

He is essential to the way we play because he is strong and can run fast, but not as fast as he once could, and he played up front a lot last season. Even in the "wider" role in the front three though, his movement and application has been questioned a number of times, and his finishing has been way, way off what someone on his money should be capable of. Gabby is part of the furniture, but a player I hope in 4 years time is much more of a bench/ reserve option than a first team one. I also hope the club have not kept him on huge money, as his goalscoring record for someone in a forward position has been completely unacceptable.

He is though, essential right now because of that pace. Other pace options are needed to put pressure on him.

[Fin Feds Dad]

I bet he can't believe his luck . 4 years

[Percy McCarthy]

I bet he can't believe his luck . 4 years ???

Yes, because in the era of Long and McCormack going for £12 and £11 million respectively, a bloke with 60-odd PL goals would have no chance of getting a good contract off anybody else as a free agent in the summer. I bet he's pinching himself that he won't be turning out for Sutton Town's reserves next season.

[Percy McCarthy]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

Agreed on both fronts.

He has not been on the wing in any way, shape or form for the last 4 years. Indeed, his best form came when he was played properly out wide under McLeish until he got the hump that Bent was move loved than he was or some such rubbish.

He is essential to the way we play because he is strong and can run fast, but not as fast as he once could, and he played up front a lot last season. Even in the "wider" role in the front three though, his movement and application has been questioned a number of times, and his finishing has been way, way off what someone on his money should be capable of. Gabby is part of the furniture, but a player I hope in 4 years time is much more of a bench/ reserve option than a first team one. I also hope the club have not kept him on huge money, as his goalscoring record for someone in a forward position has been completely unacceptable.

He is though, essential right now because of that pace. Other pace options are needed to put pressure on him.

So, he hasn't played on the wing in the last four years, but his best form was on the wing at some point during the last four years?

ITK about the Bent stuff?

A wide-forward is, to me, at least some way, shape or form of being on the wing.

[Holte Sweet]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

I think its no surprise that his form has improved at the same time asbwe have started to sign better quality players.  He can be frustrating at times but he has been playing in a very poor team over the past few seasons

[Chris Jameson]

I hope there was a clause in his contract to lose the stupid facial hair and not to give any TV interviews. I still cringe at the thought of a monosyllabic interview he and Ashley Young did a few years ago.

[ozzjim]

After the Hull game, he started a sentence with "Yeah I know but, well I think erm" or something along those lines. It makes you proud.

Percy - don't get me wrong, I would have him in the side because he has particular skills unique to him, but for what we pay him, and the talent he does actually possess, I think we should get a lot, lot more from him than we do.

[DeKuip]

Out of everyone he was the least of our worries

And therefore probably the easiest to sort out.

So why not leave it?

Why not just do it at the same time as all the others?

It's not a case of "finish one negotiation, start the next one".

As I say least important, better to get big ones done first. In my opinion anyway

Maybe they don't want to sign new contracts. Why would they when in a few months they will probably have more lucrative career options to choose from, including staying here. Put yourself in the player's position and ask yourself how foolish it could be to rush such a decision.

[OCD]

I knew people would be moaning about this. Most people would see a first team regular committing themselves to a new contract as a positive.

To me this sends a signal that we have opened contract negotiations with those whose contracts are running down and this just so happens to have been the first one across the line. Possibly suggesting that it was the easiest to get done. That may be because he was already on 'good' money so may have accepted the same terms whereas those others are negotiating pay rises.

Seeing as there's been an interview with him running on SSN, he obviously hasn't agreed to a condition preventing him from doing interviews.

[Gareth]

I think 68 goals is pretty good considering he's played most of the last four seasons on the wing in a shit team.

Agreed. It's not his fault he's been surrounded by mainly rubbish over the last 4 years. Hopefully this (and the signing up of Delph, Vlaar etc) is the start of better times arriving at the club.

Agreed on both fronts.

I look at it the other way, last season he had the opportunity to step up & show he had something, for me he went AWOL when we needed him. 

They say you are only as good as your last game, against Hull I thought he was great, we need 20 not 4/5 of those performances a season....no room for passengers!